Rescuers of Jews
Abukauskas Josifas
JOSIFAS ABUKAUSKAS
URŠULĖ ABUKAUSKIENĖ
Uršulė and Josifas (called Juozas by his relatives) Abukauskas lived in the village of Ąžuolijai, in Trakai district, during the war. One day, a neighbour came to the Abukauskas and told them that he found a baby in a ditch, currently left in the care of a woman in a mill in another village 9 km away. Josifas brought the girl home. The family decided to raise her, baptized her, and gave her the name Lilija.
As later revealed, the true name of the girl was Frida. Her real parents were Shlomo and Katia (Kunė) Glazman, who lived in the town of Semeliškiai before the war. During the Nazi occupation, 962 Jews (213 men, 359 women, and 390 children) from Semeliškiai and surrounding towns were killed. Frida's father witnessed the execution of his parents and older brother. Shlomo, Katia, and her parents escaped and hid in the Inklėriškiai forest bunkers. Katia was already expecting Frida. She was born in a forest ditch in the winter of 1941-1942. When Frida's grandparents died in hiding, her parents joined the partisans.
The Glazmans knew where their daughter was, safe, cared for, and loved. Uršulė and Josifas not only raised Frida but also helped other Jews who came at night—feeding them, giving them shelter, providing them with bacon fat and tobacco. One of the Jews who came would carry and kiss Lilija (Frida). Neither the girl nor Uršulė and Josifas suspected that he was her real father. The Abukauskas family loved Frida deeply, raising her as their own daughter, forming a strong attachment. According to the memories of Janina Šimkevičienė, the daughter of the Abukauskas: “One night, two Germans came, took Lilija out of bed, pointed a pistol at her and wanted to shoot, but my mom fell to her knees crying and begged: If you shoot, shoot me too. I don't have my own children, we found her and are raising her as our own. Miraculously, they left her alive.”
The Abukauskas were deeply affected by the separation from Frida. The girl, too, was attached to her saviours and didn't immediately recognize her true parents; she longed for her adoptive mother. From memories of Frida Glazmanaitė-Abramavičienė (Abramovitch): “In 1945, my biological parents took me from the Abukauskas, who loved me very much. I was afraid to be in the home of my biological parents. I was angry that those “strangers”, tearing me away from my beloved mother Uršulė and from Juozas, forced me to live in a house where everyone spoke a strange language. I didn't want to eat anything, and I cried all the time. Finally, one day, Uršulė came to our house from the village and stayed for a while. Eventually, I got used to my biological parents. <...> I always felt that Uršulė was my real mother; I called her grandmother.”
Frida closely communicated with the Abukauskas until her departure to Israel in 1972. Today, Frida Abramavičienė (Abramovitch) lives in Israel and maintains a close relationship with her saviours, Uršulė and Josifas Abukauskai's daughter, Janina Šimkevičienė.
URŠULĖ ABUKAUSKIENĖ
Uršulė and Josifas (called Juozas by his relatives) Abukauskas lived in the village of Ąžuolijai, in Trakai district, during the war. One day, a neighbour came to the Abukauskas and told them that he found a baby in a ditch, currently left in the care of a woman in a mill in another village 9 km away. Josifas brought the girl home. The family decided to raise her, baptized her, and gave her the name Lilija.
As later revealed, the true name of the girl was Frida. Her real parents were Shlomo and Katia (Kunė) Glazman, who lived in the town of Semeliškiai before the war. During the Nazi occupation, 962 Jews (213 men, 359 women, and 390 children) from Semeliškiai and surrounding towns were killed. Frida's father witnessed the execution of his parents and older brother. Shlomo, Katia, and her parents escaped and hid in the Inklėriškiai forest bunkers. Katia was already expecting Frida. She was born in a forest ditch in the winter of 1941-1942. When Frida's grandparents died in hiding, her parents joined the partisans.
The Glazmans knew where their daughter was, safe, cared for, and loved. Uršulė and Josifas not only raised Frida but also helped other Jews who came at night—feeding them, giving them shelter, providing them with bacon fat and tobacco. One of the Jews who came would carry and kiss Lilija (Frida). Neither the girl nor Uršulė and Josifas suspected that he was her real father. The Abukauskas family loved Frida deeply, raising her as their own daughter, forming a strong attachment. According to the memories of Janina Šimkevičienė, the daughter of the Abukauskas: “One night, two Germans came, took Lilija out of bed, pointed a pistol at her and wanted to shoot, but my mom fell to her knees crying and begged: If you shoot, shoot me too. I don't have my own children, we found her and are raising her as our own. Miraculously, they left her alive.”
The Abukauskas were deeply affected by the separation from Frida. The girl, too, was attached to her saviours and didn't immediately recognize her true parents; she longed for her adoptive mother. From memories of Frida Glazmanaitė-Abramavičienė (Abramovitch): “In 1945, my biological parents took me from the Abukauskas, who loved me very much. I was afraid to be in the home of my biological parents. I was angry that those “strangers”, tearing me away from my beloved mother Uršulė and from Juozas, forced me to live in a house where everyone spoke a strange language. I didn't want to eat anything, and I cried all the time. Finally, one day, Uršulė came to our house from the village and stayed for a while. Eventually, I got used to my biological parents. <...> I always felt that Uršulė was my real mother; I called her grandmother.”
Frida closely communicated with the Abukauskas until her departure to Israel in 1972. Today, Frida Abramavičienė (Abramovitch) lives in Israel and maintains a close relationship with her saviours, Uršulė and Josifas Abukauskai's daughter, Janina Šimkevičienė.